To Put Wings on Shoulders and Claws on Fingers: For Kira and Rama is an installation that reflects the artist’s experience of isolating cells from the bodies of two fetal calves, Kira and Rama, during a residency at SymbioticA in 2010. The work is composed of dioramas featuring miniature landscapes made from the tanned and salted hides of the calves, creating an evocative scene that intertwines life, death, and transformation.

At the heart of the landscapes are two empty chairs adorned with bird feet and butterfly wings. These chairs, poised as if awaiting their occupants, symbolise a state of anticipation and potential transformation, mirroring how Kira and Rama’s cells lie dormant, waiting to be thawed and transformed into an immortal cell line. The butterfly wings are painted with skulls, underscoring the theme of death and the delicate balance between creation and destruction.

The dioramas are covered in white salt, creating a frozen, wintry landscape that represents the current cryopreserved state of the cells. This frozen environment evokes a sense of stillness and preservation. Yet, beneath the salted hide surface, vibrant grass emerges, signifying the impending thaw and the revival of the cells—an indication of the cycle of life that continues even after death.

This installation embodies the tension between stasis and renewal, portraying a narrative where death is not an end but a precursor to transformation and life. The work invites viewers to contemplate the interconnected forces of creation and decay, reflecting on the complex processes that bridge life and death, preservation and rebirth.

The work forms part of the Immortalisation of Kira and Rama and was exhibited at Metra Arts, Brisbane in 2010 as part of the exhibition The Elasticity of the Almost.